THE ONE THAT DOES VIENNA AND ROME WITH A TASTE OF EASTERN EUROPE

Krakow & Ljubljana sound familiar? Probably not. That's because the Eastern Trail is about blazing a new trail. But just to keep things interesting we sandwich the obscure between hotspots like Venice & Vienna. It doesn't get much better than 9 brimming days to explore 7 European countries.

WHAT YOU GET

8 nights accommodation

8 nights in Hotel or Hostel

Snooze in a combination of funky hostels and hotels for 8 nights in same-sex quad-share accommodation. Think staying around the corner from the coolest alternative nightlife in Budapest & only a hop, skip & jump from an ancient sight in historic Rome.

11included Meals

3 Dinner, 8 Breakfast

Tuck into some European delights & tasty fresh food, with a welcoming breakfast each morning plus 3 dinners.

Team

Expert Trip Manager, Driver and Local Guides

A highly trained Trip Manager who brings your adventure to life. An expert driver who knows foreign roads better than Google Maps. Local Guides who make tourist traps a thing of the past. This is your team. Smart, friendly, fun, and integral to everything we do.

Transport

All transport included during the trip

Included in your trip is transport across Europe on our fleet of comfy, state of the art coaches. They're kitted out with all the necessities: USB charge points, WiFi, Air Con and a rocking sound system. You bring the other essentials, like tunes, friendships and stories from the night before.

Your group

Travel with other 18-35 year olds from around the world

Our trips are exclusively 18-35. This means you'll be travelling with people just like you, from all over the world- laughter and friendships always guaranteed.

Experiences

8 included, 6 optional that you can add

All the best bits of each destination included as standard. Explore Rome with a history tour of some of the most iconic spots, discover Ljubljana's castle & old town & visit Auschwitz & Birkenau concentration camp memorial, plus so much more.

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Krakow & Ljubljana sound familiar? Probably not. That's because the Eastern Trail is about blazing a new trail. But just to keep things interesting we sandwich the obscure between hotspots like Venice & Vienna. It doesn't get much better than 9 brimming days to explore 7 European countries.

step 1

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3

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26

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16

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23

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30

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7

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9

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14

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21

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23

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27

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29

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3

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5

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7

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11

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18

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8

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15

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22

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29

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Mar

14

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21

Saturday 21st March

Sunday 29th March

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Your Options

Starts on

Pick your start location

Ends on

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Trip Options

step 2

Your trip summary

EASTERN TRAIL

Only $200 deposit to book.

Select a date from the calendar

Start

Trip Options

End

FREEDOM GUARANTEE

Change travel dates of trip for FREE.More

Change your travel dates or even your trip for free.

Plans change, but with Freedom Guarantee,
if you're more than 45 days out you can swap onto a different departure or change your trip entirely, free of charge.

FLEX DEPOSIT

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Can't travel? Save your deposit for a new trip or gift to a friend.

Flex deposit works as credit towards you next adventure, so if you can't travel it means your deposit isn't lost, simply transferred. Genius.

This departure can only be booked by speaking with our reservation team.

Price breakdown:

(Adult Port Tax)

All prices in

itinerary

Map

Itinerary

ITINERARY

Nights spent per location

1

1 night

Vienna

via

via

Czech Republic

via

via

Auschwitz

2

2 nights

Krakow

via

via

Banska Bystrica

2

2 nights

Budapest

via

via

Lake Bled

1

1 night

Ljubljana

1

1 night

Venice

1

1 night

Rome

see detailed itinerary

back to map

Map

Itinerary

Start location

End location

Trip day

Via location

Bus route

River route

Plane route

Traveller Photos

DAY 1 - Arrive Vienna

Vienna

We'll arrive in Vienna full of excitement and ready for coffee & sachertorte, otherwise known as the world's greatest chocolate cake. Get to know your new travel squad over dinner tonight, and maybe a few schnaps, since we're in Austria after all.

Stay

A&O Vienna Hauptbahnhof (or similar)

DAY 2 - Vienna to Krakow via Auschwitz

Vienna

Rise up travellers and start practicing your Polish pleasantries, we'll be in Krakow later today so they may come in handy.

NO REGRETS INCLUSIONS

Entrance to and guided tour of Auschwitz and Birkenau concentration camp memorials

Czech Republic

Auschwitz

Today we will change pace once we cross the border, as we drop to an unfamiliar and sobering level by visiting the concentration camp memorials of Auschwitz & Birkenau. Learning and growing is what we travellers do.

Krakow

Then afterwards its onto the city of Krakow, which is now known for its silver mining heritage and tales of mythical dragons. Relax tonight as we have all day tomorrow to explore.

Stay

Ibis Budget Hotel Krakow Stare Miasto (or similar)

DAY 3 - Krakow

Krakow

A Jewish Quarter, a jaw-dropping castle & museums aplenty are just some of the relics found in the relatively untouched Krakow. The UNESCO World Heritage-listed centre should occupy your free time, but conserve some energy for the option to get involved with a traditional Polish Pierogi evening.

NO REGRETS INCLUSIONS

Sightseeing of the cathedral & Royal Castle on Wawel Hill

FREE TIME ADD-ONS

Salt Mines Tour

EUR 30.00

Pierogi Dinner

EUR 30.00

Stay

Ibis Budget Hotel Krakow Stare Miasto (or similar)

DAY 4 - Krakow to Budapest via Banska Bystrica

Krakow

Alpine scenery and traditional villages will make our departure from Krakow more manageable. Particularly with the knowledge that we have Budapest coming up in the eve.

NO REGRETS INCLUSIONS

Sightseeing of Buda, Pest, the Royal Palace, the Church of St. Matthias, the Chain Bridge & Fisherman's Bastion

FREE TIME ADD-ONS

River Cruise with Dinner

EUR 39.00

Banska Bystrica

Pastel painted and manicured to perfection, Banska Bystrica is a lunch break that will charm you to no end. Being in Slovakia, it's also your chance to brag 3 countries in one day - you crazy globetrotter you.

Budapest

Welcome to Hungary! Coming in at number 3 on our list of countries ticked off through the day. From the moment we arrive in the river split city, you'll understand why we needed a couple of nights here. Waste no time getting involved with Budapest by joining the optional river cruise and dinner.

Stay

Wombats Hostel (or similar)

DAY 5 - Budapest

Budapest

The day is yours to tackle Budapest however you see fit. After all the travelling we've done, you've probably earned yourself an afternoon soaking in the cities famous outdoor thermal pools set amongst Art Nouveau architecture. Blissed out in Budapest - there's an insta caption for you. If gardens, fountains, pools and ruins are the call of your day, put St Margaret Island top and centre of your to do list.

FREE TIME ADD-ONS

Budapest Past & Present Tour

EUR 22.00

Stay

Wombats Hostel (or similar)

DAY 6 - Budapest to Ljubljana via Lake Bled

Budapest

This morning we say goodbye to the city of Budapest and head south to Slovenia! Though the name Ljubljana might not be as well known as Budapest, that doesn't diminish its delight as a European city. In fact, its undiscovered charm is all part of the fascination...

NO REGRETS INCLUSIONS

See Ljubljana's castle & old town

See the picturesque Lake Bled (Summer Only)

Lake Bled

WOW is probably the one word we hear in unison as we pull up at this jaw dropping lake. Don't forget to keep your swimmers out today, this is the perfect place for a dip to break up the journey, and grab a few lust-worthy snaps.

Ljubljana

Aesthetically wonderful and filled with youthful moods, Ljubljana is one to love for its off the tourist trail vibes and casual attitude. Without a list of monuments to tick off, you're free to get cozy in a cafe and lap up the endless local feels.

Stay

Ljubljana Resort (or similar)

DAY 7 - Ljubljana to Venice

Ljubljana

Ever the advocates of a balanced holiday, today we're trading in the obscure unknown for the globally adored hot spot of Venice. Whoop!

NO REGRETS INCLUSIONS

Private boat through the canals & islands of Venice

See the Bridge of Sighs, the Doge's Palace & St. Mark's Square

See Venice's iconic canals & gondolas

FREE TIME ADD-ONS

Gondola ride

EUR 23.00

Traditional Tastes of Venice

EUR 34.00

Venice

Yes, it's as cute as you imagine. Yes, you'll feel like you're part of an Italian fairytale. Yes, you are actually hanging out in the gondola clad floating city of Venice! A private boat ride, gothic architecture and a web of lanes to explore will keep your day filled quite nicely.

Stay

A&O Venice Mestre Hostel (or similar)

DAY 8 - Venice to Rome

Venice

Farewell floating city, but Italy, we're not done with you yet, our next destination the Eternal City is just around the corner.

The afternoon will really take it up a notch as we uncover Italian icons in the country's capital of Rome as you get a glimpse of it's glory by night. Gelato, pizza and ancient monuments - perfecto!

Stay

The Yellow Hostel (or similar)

DAY 9 - Depart Rome

Rome

The best week of your life has come to an end - you have our complete sympathy. If anyone understands the pain of ended travels, it's us. And your new Contiki collective. Hug it out after breakfast & make plans to reunite outside of Rome.

I feel as though this trip is quite misleading, I did enjoy every place we visited however if you are on the Eastern Trail module in this trip you really do not get to experience Austria, as you arrive for a dinner then leave at 8am the next morning, Slovakia- I can't really believe that Contiki considers this a 'country stop' because in reality you only get 2 hours to visit an old town (not even the capital) which is by no means a proper experience of a country. The majority of my time on this trip was spent on a bus or with rowdy 18-25 year olds who only had alcohol and partying on their minds. Having to deal with this behaviour was an issue of my own as Contiki European summer trips do have this reputation. I did have a good time visiting all the sites and thought all the add on's were worthwhile and interesting, however I found the quality on the people on my trip to be incredibly poor. My travel manager was great as was our driver. I personally would not go on a trip like this again as it gave me what I need for future travels, if you are looking for a fulfilling history rich trip of Eastern Europe then this trip does provide, however consider yourself warned of the immature young 'adults' you may meet on this trip. This my first and last multiple country/long distance trip throughout Europe with Contiki.

It was a good tour and easily run. I rated it 4 stars because I thought some of the places we ate for included dinners were pretty average and I could have gotten a better deal myself.
In saying that I had an amazing trip manager (Caragh) who made my trip. She knew our names on the first day and always made an effort to include the team and show us the best places to visit. I would 100% book another tour with her in a heartbeat. I look forward to travelling with contiki again as it is a good company with provides very enjoyable trips.

While some of this boils down to circumstance, this was a very disappointing trip all 'round.
Firstly, you're joining on the 7th or 8th day of another trip, so everyone else is already good friends. Secondly, you join on the day after they've farewelled other travellers who have just departed the group and everyone is recommended to have a "quiet night in" because Auschwitz is the next destination.
The group I was with was too tired to do anything that night, though a few did come out but most of us left early. While getting to know people is mostly on my shoulders, it's very discouraging when any conversation you try and strike up gets cut short with other people butting in with their inside jokes.
I barely remember anyone's name on the trip and legitimately have no idea who was from where or what they do for work. We never got the chance to get to know anyone because the coach's microphone was constantly broken and then no one wanted to rotate around the coach and "get to know" anyone because "we already did that".
Speaking of things not going to plan, a lot of things didn't go to plan on this trip. We had to sit in the coach for half an hour after a long day in Auschwitz and wait for the coach driver to get a toll box. Kinda ***** when you've been up since 6am and by this point it was 8:30pm and we still hadn't checked into our next hotel. I got charged for something I didn't pay for (wasn't even aware of that), but thankfully I got refunded. Contiki maps for certain destinations weren't printed, there were issues with train tickets in Rome, we weren't advised in advance that you have to pay to swim at Lake Bled. I don't think anyone had lunch that day because we weren't stopping off anywhere for very long and we weren't recommended when we should grab lunch.
Venice was a lovely day, until it was time to meet at the meeting point and the trip leader was drunk and decided to change plans. That's at least what I thought was happening, but through Chinese Whispers I learned that we in fact had some ferry issues and had to catch a later ferry (1 hour later) with another Contiki group.
The day sheet said to have "a quiet one" but then about half the group was drunk and shouting (trip leader included), so of course the ferry ride back to the coach was grating. The classic funny guy gets up on the ferry mic and plays a repetitive pump up song that we've heard 30 times already during our coach rides and then when we get back onto the coach (Keep in mind, long day. Would've left the previous hotel 13 hours before) the coach driver (or trip leader) decides to blare the said repetitive song at max volume for our drive back to the hotel.
That's all well and good if you were one of the people who wanted that or were drinking, but over half of us weren't and just wanted to relax. Absolutely no consideration.
The coach rides. Far out, what torture they were. The music was blaring at full volume almost every trip. That might be fine for ol' "Party Marty" (coach driver) and the 4 or 5 other people who would shout out song requests, but again, no consideration for the rest of us. I didn't sleep once on any of the coach rides and not even my noise cancellation headphones could block out how loud the music was.
I'd also like to mention that I'm no stranger to Contiki or *Competitor comment removed by Feefo* as I've done 5 trips before. This easily ranks down the bottom and I genuinely can't remember anything I enjoyed about this trip. The one enjoyable day (Venice) quickly became one of the least enjoyable.
I get that some of this was out of Contiki's control, and of course the people on each trip vary. For me though, I did not enjoy this trip one bit and I strongly discourage anyone from doing any trips where you link up with another group as it just isn't the same as starting off fresh when no one knows eachother.
PS. All the food add ons were not worth it. Don't waste your time. You're much better off finding a nice restaurant elsewhere and buying food there. This should be expected though as it's not a very pricey trip

Literally the best time of my life! I opted in for all the optional extras and although some of the museums were a bit of a snooze, my new best friends made it absolutely worth it. I'd rather have done the snooze of a museum than actually sleeping in the bus, waiting for the cool kids to come out. Emmy & Gabi (tour manager and driver) were the actual best! I had the time of my life and I wish it never ended. If you are looking for the Eurotrip of your dreams, do this one, but do the WHOLE thing!

1. It is not truly 7 countries or even 6- it is 5.
I do not count a rest stop as a country. It should not be counted as a country on the itinerary to be included with price. Also, the Vatican while is counted as a small country - should not be counted as well.
The true countries we see are Austria, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia, and Italy. Also for price wise - the only countries included for price should be the ones we stay in HOSTELS for.
2. Currency information should be sent out ahead of time with the other documentation sheets. I should know all the currencies ahead of time to do exchanges. Also, a helpful currency tip sheet or money sheet should be given. For example, I would have left money in a checking account and just did ATM's - less of a fee and I get money instantly in that currency.
3. Leisure time should also come with helpful and handy places, activities, and events to do should we not choose to do the MTO. For example, after our Past and Present tour in Budapest, people went to the Salt Bathes. However, no one instructed us ahead of time to bring a bathing suit. This is something that would have been great to know so we could have partaken.
4. Room assignments need to be made ahead of time. If you are booking with another person, you should always be guaranteed to stay with them in a room. It is unfair to be separated from a friend, relative, or significant other.

Thank you #ContikiNate for making my tour as memorable as possible! Shout out to the best Polish bus driver, Jakub Rebelski. Although my time spent on tour was short, it was definitely an experience that will last me a lifetime! Also, the me time options was definitely worth it!! I loved the Gondola ride as well as the tour through the Salt Mines. I met people from all over the world and hope we will meet again in the future. As Nate always said, #howgreatareourlives

Not worth the money. You can travel on your own for much less and spend more time in each place. Included meals are nothing to write home about.

READ MORE

Jack Woolcott

Traveled Aug 2018

An Amazing experience of a lifetime!!

The Eastern trail was amazing. Visited amazing countries and towns. Would highly recommend to others. Wish the Contiki trip never ended.

READ MORE

Anonymous

Traveled Aug 2018

Good, but not Great

I feel as though this trip is quite misleading, I did enjoy every place we visited however if you are on the Eastern Trail module in this trip you really do not get to experience Austria, as you arrive for a dinner then leave at 8am the next morning, Slovakia- I can't really believe that Contiki considers this a 'country stop' because in reality you only get 2 hours to visit an old town (not even the capital) which is by no means a proper experience of a country. The majority of my time on this trip was spent on a bus or with rowdy 18-25 year olds who only had alcohol and partying on their minds. Having to deal with this behaviour was an issue of my own as Contiki European summer trips do have this reputation. I did have a good time visiting all the sites and thought all the add on's were worthwhile and interesting, however I found the quality on the people on my trip to be incredibly poor. My travel manager was great as was our driver. I personally would not go on a trip like this again as it gave me what I need for future travels, if you are looking for a fulfilling history rich trip of Eastern Europe then this trip does provide, however consider yourself warned of the immature young 'adults' you may meet on this trip. This my first and last multiple country/long distance trip throughout Europe with Contiki.

READ MORE

Anonymous

Traveled Jul 2018

Highly Recommend!

Most of the meals were included and the hostels were pretty nice for the price.

READ MORE

Anonymous

Traveled Jul 2018

Eastern Trail

Good experience jumping on to a trip that had already started

READ MORE

Anonymous

Traveled Jul 2018

Be prepared to party your way through beautiful countries with great people

It was a good tour and easily run. I rated it 4 stars because I thought some of the places we ate for included dinners were pretty average and I could have gotten a better deal myself.
In saying that I had an amazing trip manager (Caragh) who made my trip. She knew our names on the first day and always made an effort to include the team and show us the best places to visit. I would 100% book another tour with her in a heartbeat. I look forward to travelling with contiki again as it is a good company with provides very enjoyable trips.

READ MORE

Anonymous

Traveled Jul 2018

Avoid this one

While some of this boils down to circumstance, this was a very disappointing trip all 'round.
Firstly, you're joining on the 7th or 8th day of another trip, so everyone else is already good friends. Secondly, you join on the day after they've farewelled other travellers who have just departed the group and everyone is recommended to have a "quiet night in" because Auschwitz is the next destination.
The group I was with was too tired to do anything that night, though a few did come out but most of us left early. While getting to know people is mostly on my shoulders, it's very discouraging when any conversation you try and strike up gets cut short with other people butting in with their inside jokes.
I barely remember anyone's name on the trip and legitimately have no idea who was from where or what they do for work. We never got the chance to get to know anyone because the coach's microphone was constantly broken and then no one wanted to rotate around the coach and "get to know" anyone because "we already did that".
Speaking of things not going to plan, a lot of things didn't go to plan on this trip. We had to sit in the coach for half an hour after a long day in Auschwitz and wait for the coach driver to get a toll box. Kinda ***** when you've been up since 6am and by this point it was 8:30pm and we still hadn't checked into our next hotel. I got charged for something I didn't pay for (wasn't even aware of that), but thankfully I got refunded. Contiki maps for certain destinations weren't printed, there were issues with train tickets in Rome, we weren't advised in advance that you have to pay to swim at Lake Bled. I don't think anyone had lunch that day because we weren't stopping off anywhere for very long and we weren't recommended when we should grab lunch.
Venice was a lovely day, until it was time to meet at the meeting point and the trip leader was drunk and decided to change plans. That's at least what I thought was happening, but through Chinese Whispers I learned that we in fact had some ferry issues and had to catch a later ferry (1 hour later) with another Contiki group.
The day sheet said to have "a quiet one" but then about half the group was drunk and shouting (trip leader included), so of course the ferry ride back to the coach was grating. The classic funny guy gets up on the ferry mic and plays a repetitive pump up song that we've heard 30 times already during our coach rides and then when we get back onto the coach (Keep in mind, long day. Would've left the previous hotel 13 hours before) the coach driver (or trip leader) decides to blare the said repetitive song at max volume for our drive back to the hotel.
That's all well and good if you were one of the people who wanted that or were drinking, but over half of us weren't and just wanted to relax. Absolutely no consideration.
The coach rides. Far out, what torture they were. The music was blaring at full volume almost every trip. That might be fine for ol' "Party Marty" (coach driver) and the 4 or 5 other people who would shout out song requests, but again, no consideration for the rest of us. I didn't sleep once on any of the coach rides and not even my noise cancellation headphones could block out how loud the music was.
I'd also like to mention that I'm no stranger to Contiki or *Competitor comment removed by Feefo* as I've done 5 trips before. This easily ranks down the bottom and I genuinely can't remember anything I enjoyed about this trip. The one enjoyable day (Venice) quickly became one of the least enjoyable.
I get that some of this was out of Contiki's control, and of course the people on each trip vary. For me though, I did not enjoy this trip one bit and I strongly discourage anyone from doing any trips where you link up with another group as it just isn't the same as starting off fresh when no one knows eachother.
PS. All the food add ons were not worth it. Don't waste your time. You're much better off finding a nice restaurant elsewhere and buying food there. This should be expected though as it's not a very pricey trip

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Ashton Ensor-Smith

Traveled Jul 2018

Most amazing experience - best way to travel

We got to see and do so much in the short time we had !
was way more than I expected

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Anonymous

Traveled Jun 2018

Amazing

I didn’t realise it was part of multiple trips so it would have been good to know that because I might have done a longer one

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Anonymous

Traveled Jun 2018

Stress free way to adventure around Europe

The Eastern Trail was an amazing tour that brought us to so many different historical cities and provided us with the opportunity to explore so many different cultures.

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Megan Holt

Traveled Apr 2018

Great trip! Definitely recommend!

Thank you for the fun experience! Marcos was a helpful and funny trip leader, and David was a professional and safe bus driver. I would certainly recommend this trip!

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Similoluwa Ayo-Vaughan

Traveled Apr 2018

Beyond Awesome!!!

Was definitely worth it!!!!!

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Kat R

Traveled Mar 2018

Loved the Eastern Trail and Contikis fun pace.

This trip was reasonably priced with great Me Time add-ons.

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Emmily Wilkie

Traveled Mar 2018

Eastern Trail

Well organized and pleasant trip manager

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Jan Willem Hurter

Traveled Feb 2018

Personal, professional, pleasant people

Literally the best time of my life! I opted in for all the optional extras and although some of the museums were a bit of a snooze, my new best friends made it absolutely worth it. I'd rather have done the snooze of a museum than actually sleeping in the bus, waiting for the cool kids to come out. Emmy & Gabi (tour manager and driver) were the actual best! I had the time of my life and I wish it never ended. If you are looking for the Eurotrip of your dreams, do this one, but do the WHOLE thing!

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Joseph Cross

Traveled Jan 2018

You only get one life, make the most of it.

Amazing food throughout the exploration!

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Chelsea Kimmel

Traveled Jan 2018

A great choice for a first time to europe

1. It is not truly 7 countries or even 6- it is 5.
I do not count a rest stop as a country. It should not be counted as a country on the itinerary to be included with price. Also, the Vatican while is counted as a small country - should not be counted as well.
The true countries we see are Austria, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia, and Italy. Also for price wise - the only countries included for price should be the ones we stay in HOSTELS for.
2. Currency information should be sent out ahead of time with the other documentation sheets. I should know all the currencies ahead of time to do exchanges. Also, a helpful currency tip sheet or money sheet should be given. For example, I would have left money in a checking account and just did ATM's - less of a fee and I get money instantly in that currency.
3. Leisure time should also come with helpful and handy places, activities, and events to do should we not choose to do the MTO. For example, after our Past and Present tour in Budapest, people went to the Salt Bathes. However, no one instructed us ahead of time to bring a bathing suit. This is something that would have been great to know so we could have partaken.
4. Room assignments need to be made ahead of time. If you are booking with another person, you should always be guaranteed to stay with them in a room. It is unfair to be separated from a friend, relative, or significant other.

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Anonymous

Traveled Dec 2017

Great staff and effortless booking

Great fast-paced trip for lovers of history and good food. An excellent and budget-friendly way of seeing many of the beautiful and underrated sights Europe has to offer.

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Cobus Arend Coetzee

Traveled Nov 2017

Amazing whirl wind tour through Eastern Europe !!!!!!!!!

Thank you #ContikiNate for making my tour as memorable as possible! Shout out to the best Polish bus driver, Jakub Rebelski. Although my time spent on tour was short, it was definitely an experience that will last me a lifetime! Also, the me time options was definitely worth it!! I loved the Gondola ride as well as the tour through the Salt Mines. I met people from all over the world and hope we will meet again in the future. As Nate always said, #howgreatareourlives

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Anonymous

Traveled Nov 2017

Waste of money

99% of the trip was on a bus and the manager was rude. I want a refund.